7th Street Bridge (US 99 1926-1933 in Modesto)

[Max Rockatansky]

Taken from the Gribblenation Facebook page.  Made a significant find regarding the 7th Street Bridge which confirms it was part of Legislative Route 4 and 1926-1933 US Route 99:

I recently paid a visit to the 7th Street Bridge *also known as the "Lion Bridge") which spans the Tuolumne River on the southern outskirts of Modesto.   The 7th Street Bridge is slated to be replaced and demolished in 2023-2024 due to having a structural sufficiency rating of 2 (which is bad enough that vehicles exceeding 4 tons can't cross).  While the often cited build year of 1916 for the 7th Street Bridge is well documented what often doesn't discussed is that it was part of Legislative Route Number 4 and US Route 99 until July 1933.   The 7th Street Bridge was for it's time a modernized replacement of a previous Pennsylvania Truss span.   The 7th Street Bridge is a concrete arch span which is 1,170 feet in length. 

-  Photo 1 below shows the 7th Street Bridge facing north from River Road.
-  Photo 2 below is the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map which shows the 7th Street Bridge as part of Legislative Route Number 4. 
-  Photos 2-8 are from the October/November 1932 and July/August 1933 California Highways & Public Works.  Both Volumes of the CHPW discuss the replacement of the 7th Street Bridge which a new structure over the Tuolumne River via 9th Street. 
-  All remaining photos show the 7th Street Bridge as it presently exists in modern times.

Gribblenation Facebook page link below given it has the CHPW documents cited above:

https://www.facebook.com/gribblenation/posts/10157574090088021

I have a better Flickr photo album of the 7th Street Bridge as it exists presently here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmRZKVtf

[cahwyguy]

As you can tell, I'm going through CTC Minutes. Yet another "future consideration of funding" item is the replacement of the 7th Street Bridge: https://catc.ca.gov/-/media/ctc-media/documents/ctc-meetings/2025/2025-10/75-2-2c7-a11y.pdf

The Project is located on 7th
Street over the Tuolumne River in the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County (see map in
Attachment F). The Project would replace the existing two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge
that corrects structural and hydraulic deficiencies and improves safety for vehicles, bicyclists,
and pedestrians.

The 7th Street corridor is one of several north-south roadways connecting downtown
Modesto with areas south of the Tuolumne River.

• The 7th Street Bridge is listed on the Caltrans local bridge list with a sufficiency rating of
2. Sufficiency rating values range from 0 (low) to 100 (high). The low sufficiency rating is
due to structural deficiencies (because of excessive deflections on the structure),
functional deficiencies (because of its inadequate width), and load restrictions of 4 tons.
The structure is also vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake or flood event. The 7th
Street Bridge's sufficiency rating is one of the worst in California, and the structural and
functional deficiencies must be corrected and load carrying capacity restored so it may
continue to be used.

• 7th Street is an important two-lane arterial roadway that carries traffic to and from
downtown Modesto, linking the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. Currently,
traffic estimates for the 7th Street Bridge are 15,900 average trips per day. Projected
future traffic on the 7th Street Bridge is estimated at 20,100 average trips per day. With
no improvements, the 7th Street Bridge is anticipated to operate at unacceptable Level
of Service (LOS) "F" in the future. For this reason, the Stanislaus Council of
Governments 2014 Regional Transportation Plan identified the need to increase the 7th
Street Bridge vehicular capacity from two lanes to four lanes. In the project area, 7th
Street is designated as a four-lane road by the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County.

• Currently, the 7th Street Bridge has a narrow, substandard pedestrian walkway along
each side that places pedestrians very close to vehicular traffic. The bridge does not
provide dedicated bicycle infrastructure. Vehicles and bicycles must share a single,
narrow travel lane with no shoulder which increases vehicle/bicycle conflicts. The
substandard pedestrian walkways and lack of bicycle infrastructure is inconsistent with
the Modesto Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan, which calls for a complete
network of bikeways, walkways, trails, and paths that serve all non-motorized groups.
The Modesto Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan designates a Class II Bike
Lane along the 7th Street Bridge corridor. The master plan defines a Class II Bike Lane
as "striped and stenciled lane for one-way travel on a street or highway."

• The 7th Street Bridge project would correct each of these existing deficiencies. These
considerations identify why, in the County's judgement, the Project and its benefits to
the County outweigh its unavoidable significant environmental impacts.

[Max Rockatansky]

I haven't had a chance to read the entire document but why is the CTC involved with such a localized non-state highway bridge replacement?

[cahwyguy]

I haven't had a chance to read the entire document but why is the CTC involved with such a localized non-state highway bridge replacement?

Probably because they are using state funding to build it. As I recall, the state is involved with a lot of bridges. Quoting from the agenda item:

The Project is estimated to cost $134,543,000 and is funded through construction with
Highway Bridge Program ($90,780,000), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality ($1,600,000),
and Local Partnership Program – Competitive ($15,000,000), local county ($11,412,000), and
local city ($15,750,000) funds.

The CTC might also be involved due to CEQA, but I'm guessing the primary reason is the Highway Bridge Program and LPP, which the CTC administers.